


drink to me, babe, then

by nifeandaccurate (12AM)



Series: AELDWS 2014 [8]
Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Backstory, Drinking, Engineers, Gen, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 07:37:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2340368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/12AM/pseuds/nifeandaccurate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Arthur moves with precise, controlled movements, taking care not to look too long at the camera in the corner of the room. Across the table from him, Eames is leaning on his forearms and peering into the framework of the PASIV. </i>
</p><p>They create the PASIV together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	drink to me, babe, then

**Author's Note:**

> Original post can be found here, entry #4 : http://inceptiversary.livejournal.com/33415.html
> 
> Come chat with me! I'm at nifeandaccurate.tumblr.com
> 
> For Round 8, the prompt was "alcohol" with a max word count of 400.

Arthur moves with precise, controlled movements, taking care not to look too long at the camera in the corner of the room. Across the table from him, Eames is leaning on his forearms and peering into the framework of the PASIV.

"Well, shit," Eames curses under his breath. "Arthur, would you be a love and help me reconnect the cannulas?"

They keep conversation limited to the device in front of them. They work on the invention that will one day revolutionize the world of thieves who dream big. This has become their life and they don't know how to escape.

They exit the nondescript building at the end of the day. Arthur leaves first, taking the subway home. Eames leaves twenty-five minutes later, strolling casually along the road.

An hour later, they're slumped against each other in a darkened bar across the city.

Arthur, from where he has his face pressed into Eames' neck, slurs out, "How did this become our life?"

They were both working as doctors in the military when they were pulled in to work on an experimental program for heightening lucid dreaming. Two year later and they haven't been able to leave.

Eames rubs soothing circles into Arthur's back.

"We won't be here forever, darling."

"I just-," Arthur scrubs a hand across his face, "I just don't know how long I can keep doing this. We're supposed to be helping soldiers and now we can't do anything else but use them as lab rats for dreaming trails."

Eames stays silent.

"Do you know what one of them told me?" Arthur asks, whiskey heavy on his tongue. "Their superiors are pitting them against each other. When one of them is killed, they're put back in the dream immediately."

"I've tried telling them," Arthur continues, "The brain processes death the same in dreams as in reality. They won't listen to me."

Eames murmurs, "You usually aren't this coherent with so much alcohol in you."

"How would you know?" Arthur smiles, tired and sloppy, "You're usually the drunk one."

"Ah, you have me there."

They lapse into silence, Eames absentmindedly pressing a kiss into Arthur's hair.

Later in the night, Eames will turn to Arthur and say, "It'll get better, sweetheart." Neither of them will believe it just yet.

For now they sit in each other's company, letting the alcohol cloud their minds.


End file.
